Information for Hirers

How to book

You can book by phone, email or in person. Contact details for each venue are shown on our Community Centres pages. Please note, some venues are managed by volunteers and may not have staff on site at all times.

You need to pay a 50% deposit to confirm your booking. The booking officer will give you a Hire Agreement and Conditions of Use form which you need to sign. They will also make an appointment to induct you safely onto the site.

At your induction you will have to pay any remaining fees and you will be given keys and alarm codes if needed.

Inspections

You’re welcome to inspect the venue before you book to see if it suits your needs. You will need to contact the centre and make an appointment for inspections.

Hiring hours

Venues can be hired seven days a week. Most centres are available for hire from 6am to midnight.

Changing or cancelling a booking

Contact your booking officer by phone or email as soon as possible if you need to change or cancel an event. You need to give four weeks’ notice for a full refund, or full charges will apply.

Regular bookings

Many of our centres take regular bookings. Check with your preferred space to see if it’s available on a regular basis. Most centres accept regular bookings around October or November for the following calendar year.

Make sure you read your Hire Agreement and Conditions of Use for full details of the rules that will apply to your booking.

Security

Depending on your event, you may have to hire security. Talk with the booking officer to confirm if this applies to you.

Running over time

You need to make sure your booking includes enough time to set up and pack up. Venues must be left in the condition your found them, ready for the next hirer.

You will not be able to set up early or leave late if another hirer has booked the space. If you do run over time, you will be charged extra fees.

Insurance

Regular hirers and functions using contractors must have public liability insurance. Other rules may also apply. Talk to your booking officer to confirm what’s needed for your event.

Fees

Costs for many centres are shown online. See our Community Centres and Halls page for details. If fees aren’t listed, you will need to contact the centre by phone or email for details.

How to pay

Check with your booking officer for available payment methods. If paying by cheque, you will need to do this at least 10 working days before your booking.

Bond

Most bookings require a bond, which will be returned to you after your booking if all Conditions of Hire have been met.

Bonds will be higher for ‘high risk’ activities and bookings outside business hours.

It can take up to two weeks for your bond to be returned.

Set up

You need to set the room up yourself and pack it up when you’re done. Make sure you book enough time for set up and pack up.

Decorations

You can decorate the space, but the following are not allowed:

• Sticking anything on walls
• Helium balloons
• Smoke machines
• Open flames (including candles).

Food and drink

You can bring in food and drink. Most venues have kitchen facilities; check with your booking officer for details.

Contractors

You must tell the booking officer if you want to bring in any contractors to help with your event, such as:

• Caterers
• Entertainment
• Security.

Special conditions apply to contractors. Your booking officer will discuss this with you.

Parking

Car parking will be different at each venue. Check our website or talk to your booking officer for details.

Heating and cooling

Most venues have either air conditioning, or ceiling fans and heaters.

Access for people with a disability

Many of our venues have accessible features, but this varies for each centre. Please talk to us about your specific needs.

Jumping castles

Jumping castles aren’t allowed inside our venues. Some centres allow jumping castles in outdoor areas. Ask your booking officer if a jumping castle can be used at your preferred space.

Clean up

You must leave the venue how you found it, ready for the next user. All rubbish must be removed from the space.

Report any problems

Tell the booking officer about any problems when you return your keys. Things you should report include:

• If the room was not in good condition at the start of your booking
• Any damage to equipment or the space
• Any other problems that happened when you were using the space.

If possible, take photos with a time and date stamp to help when reporting problems.

Return keys

A time for you to return keys will be arranged during your induction. For after hours bookings, keys must be returned on the next business day. For bookings in business hours, you must return keys as soon as you have locked the room.